Program Areas

Freedom of Expression:

The focus of the organization under the programme is to campaign for legislative environment that protects media freedom and guarantee the enjoyment of free expression.

This environment has deemed to be too restrictive and less enabling in nature.

A fundamental strategy of MISA Namibia's advocacy work in this programme is to monitor violations of media freedom and the right to information and expose the violations with the aim of galvanising support from national, regional and international organisations that support and fight for media freedom.

Over the past ten years (since 1994) MISA has monitored and produced publications on media violations.

Broadcasting and Information Communication Technologies:

Under its broadcasting programme MISA Namibia runs the 'Campaign for Broadcasting Diversity' which encourages an open system of broadcast licensing, editorial independence and the introduction of a three-tier system of broadcasting.

This system comprises public, commercial and community broadcasters, which as a whole can provide services that assist in the development and maintenance of democracy.

In line with the aims of the Windhoek Declaration and African Broadcasting Charter, the central theme of the campaign is advocacy for legislation and policies that create a conducive enviroment for media to operate.

Media Support:

The nature of these project dictates that it is driven at a national level where MISA Namibia acts as a facilitators of the development of codes of ethics and establishment of self-regulatory mechanisms in partnership with national stakeholders.

In relation to this the regional secretariat continues to provide expert advice and support.

Legal defence Fund:

The programme objectives focus on the need to support media practitioners in the region who face criminal defamation or insult laws cases as a result of their work.

The use of these laws, which are quite prevalent in the region, has been sparse, where media practitioners from the private media find themselves facing the use of promulgated laws that criminalise their work.

Other legal impediments have been encountered in other countries resulting in the change of types of cases requiring legal assistance.

Gender

As one of the main shapers of public opinion and agenda setter, the media has a critical role to play in the advancement and attainment of gender equality, including the duty to portray not just what is, but what could be.

This way the media will open up debate on the complex issues surrounding gender equality. The Gender and Media Baseline study initiated by MISA and Gender Links, points out the media’s portrayal of women and men is very uneven with women only making up 17 % sources in the region.

These figures show that there is censorship which hampers realization of human aspirations as well as freedom of association.

MISA Namibia will aims to ensure that mainstreaming of gender takes place internally in all its programmes and activities

HIV and AIDS

MISA acknowledged the interconnection between gender and HIV and AIDS and the impact thereof on the media sector in the region and established a HIV and AIDS program for addressing these issues.

It is for this reason that MISA and twelve other organizations within the region launched the Southern African Media Action Plan on HIV and AIDS and Gender and the Media (MAP).

MAP was launched during the MISA Annual General Meeting held in Windhoek in August 2005. The Southern African Editors Forum (SAEF) leads the initiative in partnership with several regional NGOs that work to promote diversity and professionalism in the media.

MAP brings together a unique partnership between the media industry, civil society and the international community to improve the quality of media reporting on HIV and AIDS and Gender, and to mitigate the impact of the epidemic on the media industry in the SADC region.